Sports briefs for March 16

Sailors track gets big wins in Delta

Steamboat Springs  For the team's first time on a track this season, Steamboat Springs track and field coach Luke DeWolfe came away from Saturday's meet at Delta more than pleased.

"It was a good first step for everybody," DeWolfe said. "It was a good day to be out on the track."

It was also a good day for the boys 3,200-meter relay and junior distance runner Brittany Long.

Long finished first in the girls two-mile run and second in the mile run.

The 3,200-meter relay team of Tyler Hutson, Charlie Stoddard, Buddy Kinder and John Cutter finished first.

Hutson also finished second in the boys 400-meter dash.

"They looked really good today," DeWolfe said of the 3,200-meter relay team. "They actually ran away from everybody else. Those kids will continue to do better and better once they get more experience and get more track time."

Steamboat next competes at 8 a.m. Saturday in Grand Junction.

Baseball drops two

The Steamboat Springs High School boys baseball team fell twice Saturday, losing to Hotchkiss, 11-0, and to Cedaredge, 10-1.

Steamboat manager Dave Roy called the day "a little back-sliding" after Friday's 14-4 win against Paonia.

Against Hotchkiss, Roy said, the Sailors had a tough time putting the bat on the ball and gave up too many unearned runs.

"It just wasn't a good game," Roy said.

In the second tilt, Roy said the Sailors' hitting was much better, but Steamboat just ran into a tough Cedaredge team.

The Sailors also had problems with their pitching depth in the second game. Because of hefty innings and pitch counts for the team's leading starters, freshmen Ryan Hall and Carson Becker were both forced to pitch.

"In game No. 2 we had to throw two freshmen who hadn't pitched yet," Roy said. "But to their credit, they did very well."

Steamboat (1-4) opens up Western Slope League play with a doubleheader at 11 a.m. on Saturday against Glenwood Springs.